 This followed a 1999 study they commissioned, which found that less than .5% of all resources spent by U.S. environmental nonprofit groups were used for ocean conservation.In 2001, Oceana absorbed The Ocean Law Project, which was also created by The Pew Charitable Trusts, for Oceana's legal branch.In 2002, American Oceans Campaign, founded by actor and environmentalist Ted Danson, merged with Oceana to further their common goals of ocean conservation.